Rabbis: Stand up!
In “Arousing God’s mercy” (Sept. 6) Jonathan Mark writes about experiencing the High Holy Days and suggests leaving political thoughts aside to focus on exploring the relationship between ourselves and our Maker.
“Rabbis’ messages for the New Year” (Sept. 6 and 13) seem to agree as the remarks reflect a cloistered holiness, with little regard for the presidential cataclysm that threatens our nation.
This approach reflects not only the abandonment of virtually every Jewish value — the sacredness of creation, humility, the pursuit of justice, love of learning, concern for the poor, compassion — but a cowardice unworthy of our people who have experienced the evils of hatreds fanned by demagogues.
President Donald Trump is a lying, corrupt, self-aggrandizing, bigoted monomaniac. We cannot break bread over this or simply pray that God shows him the light.
Regrettably, we cannot give the High Holy Days a pass. This is the time of our largest community gatherings. This is the time when our rabbinic leaders must stand up and urge us to pray with our feet, in order to preserve those Jewish values which define our Judaism — the holiness within the vessel. This is the time to reject the presidential rejection of facts, honesty, justice, and decency — the values that form the fabric of a world amenable to the pursuit of holiness. This is the time to save our world, not ignore it. This is the time to raise the flag, and rally round it.
So, to return to the beginning, it would please me greatly to explain to the Lord Who Made Heaven and Earth that I did my best to fulfill His/Her concerns for His/Her creation, and that I am gratified to report that even in my declining years, I did my best to impeach a monster.
I urge you to do the same. Let us not go faint-heartedly, and without complaint, into this dark night.
North Caldwell
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